Our 2026 LandWISE Conference Opening Speaker, James Hunter, is a farmer with a surprising number of decades under his belt. Rangitoto Station, farmed by Hunters since 1854, is named a local the Pa site that dates to some of the earliest times of NZ occupation. These attachments, mixed with time working for the Rural Bank…
Category: Research
Soil Health for Profit – Josh Wing
Josh Wing is a Senior Agronomist with Harvest Moon in Tasmania, bringing more than 30 years of agricultural experience to vegetable production. Raised on a mixed family farm conducting dairy, beef, potatoes and raspberry production, Josh developed a deep respect for the land and the environment from an early age. Reflecting this connection to nature,…
Soil Health for Profit – Pranoy Pal
Pranoy Pal (PhD), along with colleague Gordon Skipage, was the joint winner of the Hort NZ Sustainable Innovation Award 2025. Pranoy is the Kiwifruit Technical Manager at Trevelyan Pack and Cool – the largest single-site kiwifruit and avocado packhouse in New Zealand. Across the regions, he provides science-based advice and support to kiwifruit growers to…
Soil Health for Profit – Olivia Webster
Carbon Positive Year 4 – financials, nitrogen & yields Olivia Webster is the Project Manager at LandWISE. She leads the Carbon Positive trial, a six-year project comparing different cropping systems, with a strong focus on improving soil health and building soil carbon. She oversees trial coordination, field operations, and data collection. Olivia completed a Bachelor…
Soil Health for Profit – John Evans
A career in cropping – soil health, strip-till and biodiversity Past Chair of LandWISE, John Evans will discuss his farming career at “Soil Health for Profit” in May. Over more than four decades active farming, he’s seen a number of farming systems arrive and be replaced. John was exposed to soil improvement at a young…
Soil Health for Profit – Sally Anderson
Summary from the Cyclone Gabrielle Research Symposium Sponsored by Dr Sally Anderson is the Scientific Services Manager for Market Access Solutionz Ltd and is based in Wellington. Sally has over 15 years’ experience designing, managing, and implementing science research programmes for New Zealand’s horticultural sector. This includes co-ordinating the Vegetable Research & Innovation Board, managing…
Soil Health for Profit – Dirk Wallace
Cyclone Recovery: Best practice for cropping Dr Dirk Wallace is a Senior Researcher with the Foundation for Arable Research, bringing 15 years of experience investigating how on‑farm decision‑making shapes profitability and environmental performance. He is passionate about building great soils that work for growers and improving understanding of the relationships between soils, crops, and profit….
Soil Health for Profit – Rowland Tsimba
Current research in Strip-till and No-till maize in the Waikato Rowland Tsimba is the National Research & Agronomy Manager at Genetic Technologies Limited (Pioneer®), Hamilton. An agronomist with more than 25 years’ experience, he has worked across agricultural research, the seed industry, and on-farm extension in New Zealand. Rowland leads Pioneer’s national field research programmes,…
Soil Health for Profit – Richard Pentreath
Should soil health be our #1 sustainability goal? Richard has more than 25 years’ experience across orchard management, industry extension, consulting, and governance in New Zealand’s horticulture sector. He completed an eight-year tenure as Regional Manager for Ngāi Tukairangi Trust in Hawke’s Bay, leading high value kiwifruit and pipfruit orchards through significant productivity and profitability…
Soil Health for Profit – Katherine Martin
Crop Stacking in Pukekohe Vegetables Katherine Martin is a consultant at Perrin Ag, working across agronomy, farm systems, and environmental planning to support growers in improving productivity and strengthening environmental outcomes. Her work spans vegetable and pastoral systems, with a strong focus on soil health and regenerative practices at the paddock scale, alongside translating research…